This invention relates to journal bearings and especially to journal bearings having an indented, circumferential, spiral land along the surface of the journal.
The conventional journal and its bearing have smooth surfaces which are prevented from contacting each other by a film of lubricating oil. In actual operation, the load-bearing surface is an arc much smaller than 360.degree.. This can cause the film of lubricant to be quite thin in the load-bearing area.
Conventional journal bearings also have inherent stability problems which result in the so-called "whirl" and "whip" conditions which can destroy the bearing.
Present journal bearings also are constrained to small length-to-diameter ratios which limit hydrodynamic journal bearing designs and their load-bearing capacities.